Serve God Save The Planet - Revisited

I was perusing my email today when I came across a notification that a new comment had been posted on submission to the blog I had made a few weeks ago. I appreciate the graciousness of the author of the comment and the opportunity to continue the dialog regarding Matthew Sleeth's book Serve God Save the Planet. So, I thought that I would post the comment here and respond and invite you to join Nick and I in this conversation.

Here is Nick's comment:
Russel-
Im a student at Mid America Nazerine University. I wanted to hear your thoughts on somthing in the book. I felt that throughout the book, Sleeth tried to state that the reason for so many problems(depression,family and marriage problems, ect.), were due to the fact that those people were not turning directly to saving the envirement. I wrote a book report on this book, and many of my class mates shared the same opinion.
Do you think it is that, or do u think those people are having those problems because they simply lack a true relationship with God??
-Nick

To answer the question first, I would have to say that a lot of the problems are predominately attributed to what you have called a 'true relationship with God'. And if I have heard and read Dr. Sleeth correctly, he would be on the same page. I would point readers to page 61 of the book where Dr. Sleeth states, "Perhaps many of our problems, including those of depression and anxiety, are warning signals that we are living a lifestyle that God does not sanction or want us to lead. The response to mental pain and discomfort should be to seek restoring connection with God. In seeking quiet moments, green pastures, and still waters, we may find just what our soul needs."

Coming from a theological perspective, it involves an understanding of our relationship with God, with each other, and with the rest of the created order. As I read the scriptures I notice that our fall or separation from God distorted all of the relationships we were created for. Sin separates us from God. Sin can distort and destroy our relationships with one another. Sins involving selfishness and self-centeredness distort and destroy our relationship with the rest of the created order. It is only through the act of grace through Christ Jesus that we are brought back into right relationship in all areas of our relatedness. Just as sin has affected (and still does) both humanity and the created order; the reconciliation in Christ Jesus affects both humanity and the created order. Those who have stepped into that life giving relationship with Jesus are being transformed from the inside out. As Colossians 3:9-10 states, "...seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator...", we are reminded that we are being restored to the goodness that God originally intended for us.

Dr. Sleeth utilizes Christ's dialog about the greatest of the commandments (loving God first and then others as ourselves) as part of his scriptural and theological framework throughout the course of the book to say essentially the same thing. He claims that in order to love God, we must love what God has created and called good (ie. creation). He is also quite explicit in saying that loving others includes changing our understanding of stewardship. Are we really loving others if we are using more than we need and others are going without? Are we really loving our family if our drive for more (gadgets, filled schedules, etc) causes us to have no time to invest in those relationships? Are we really loving God, the created order, and others if we are adding exorbitantly to the pollution levels (which in turn harms all areas of our relatedness)? For Dr. Sleeth, it appears that living out the greatest of commandments, thereby living out our faith in Jesus Christ, requires that we change not only our views, but also our practices when it comes to creation care. It is not simply going green for going green's sake. It is an explicit part of our call as followers of Christ.

I invite you to join in the conversation. Have I read Serve God Save the Planet accurately? Do you agree with my assessment of Dr. Sleeth's position? Is creation care an imperative of our faith? Let us know what you think!